Breakdown of Es ist dunkel, denn die Sonne scheint nicht.
sein
to be
es
it
nicht
not
die Sonne
the sun
scheinen
to shine
denn
because
dunkel
dark
Questions & Answers about Es ist dunkel, denn die Sonne scheint nicht.
Why doesn't the verb come immediately after denn?
denn is a "Position 0" word. When you use coordinating conjunctions like und, aber, oder, or denn, they act like a bridge between two sentences, but they don't take up the first slot in the new sentence. So, die Sonne is position 1, and the verb scheint stays in its normal spot at position 2.
I learned that "because" is weil. Are weil and denn exactly the same?
They both mean "because", but they change the grammar of the sentence! As we see here, denn is followed by normal word order (subject then verb). weil is a different type of connecting word that kicks the verb to the very end of the sentence (which you'll learn in a later lesson). Right now, denn is much easier to use!
Why is nicht at the very end of the sentence instead of next to the verb?
When you want to negate the entire action of the sentence (the fact that the sun is shining), nicht usually goes at the very end of the clause. You can think of it like saying "the sun shines not".
Is the comma before denn required?
Yes, comma rules are much stricter in German than in English! You must always put a comma before denn because it connects two complete thoughts that each have their own subject and verb (es ist and die Sonne scheint).
Learn Es ist dunkel, denn die Sonne scheint nicht and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free